Wave powered electrical generator

ABSTRACT

A wave powered electrical generator includes: a floating unit that floats in water and accommodates a power generator therein. The floating unit has a wave power system that includes, a chamber containing fluid, a free-floating mass provided in the chamber that separates the chamber into first and second chambers defined at each side of the mass, a first valve that allows the fluid in the first chamber to be discharged from the first chamber as the free-floating mass moves toward the first chamber, and a second valve that allows the fluid in the second chamber to be discharged from the second chamber as the free-floating mass moves toward the second chamber. The fluid discharged through the first and second valves flows into a pipe that discharges the received fluid from an end thereof against a turbine attached to a power generator.

This application is a Continuation-in-Part (CIP) of co-pendingapplication Ser. No. 11/718,967, filed on Feb. 11, 2008, the entirecontents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention is directed to a wave powered electrical generatorutilizing the power of ocean waves to generate electricity in commercialquantities to help reduce global warming.

2. Description of the Related Art

Global warming is the change in the earth's climate resulting fromgreenhouse gasses emitted into the atmosphere primarily by the burningof fossil fuels. The principal cause of global warming is the generationof electricity by coal, oil and natural gas fired power plants.Worldwide, these fossil fuel power plants produce about 60% of allgreenhouse gas emissions (www.sierraclub.org/globalwarming/cleanenergy/introduction). Domestically, such plants account for over 70% ofthe electricity generated in the United States(www.eia.doe.gov/neic/brochure/elecinfocard.html). If nuclear poweredplants, whose radioactive waste will remain a danger to humanity for upto ten thousand years, are included, some 90 percent of the electricitygenerated in the US (id.) is produced by means which are a threat to theenvironment and the human race.

One answer to global warming is clean energy, the development ofcommercially viable methods of generating electricity which do not relyupon fossil or nuclear fuel. Among the sources of clean energy arehydroelectric, wind, solar, geothermal, methane and hydrogentechnologies. But there is no question that the greatest potentialsource of clean energy on Earth is the power of ocean waves. Tappingjust two-tenths of one percent of the energy available from the oceanswould satisfy the current global demand for electricity(www.poemsinc.org/industry.html). This wave powered electrical generatoris a new means of utilizing the power of ocean waves to generateelectricity in commercial quantities.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One aspect of the present invention is directed to a wave poweredelectrical generator that includes: a first floating unit thataccommodates a power generator therein and adapted to float in water, asecond floating unit adapted to float in the water in the vicinity ofthe first floating unit; and a spring line, one end of which beingattached to the second floating unit and the other end of which beingoperatively connected to the power generator, such that a relativemovement between the first floating unit and the second floating unitcauses the spring line to rotate a shaft of the generator and generateelectrical power.

Other aspects of this invention will be readily appreciated as the samebecome better understood by reference to the following detaileddescription when considered in connection with the accompanyingdrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The drawings are not to scale. The present invention will become morefully understood from the detailed description given hereinbelow and theaccompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only, andthus are not limitative of the present invention, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is an outside view of a sphere and a ring from above, with thesphere in the center of the ring, showing spring lines and slack linesaccording to the first embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is an outside view of the sphere and ring from above, with thesphere off-center in the ring, showing spring lines and slack lines;

FIG. 3 is an outside view of the sphere and ring from the side, with thesphere in the center of the ring, showing a transmission line and a ringanchoring system;

FIG. 4 is an outside view of the sphere and ring from the side, with thesphere off-center in the ring, showing the transmission line and thering anchoring system;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a reinforced sphere showing a beltand a structural rib reinforcing the outer shell;

FIG. 6 is an outside view of the sphere and a ring made of logs ratherthan a round circle, showing spring lines and slack lines;

FIG. 7( a) is a drawing inside the sphere showing the operation of threepulleys on a spring line when the line is being pulled out of thesphere;

FIG. 7( b) is a drawing inside the sphere showing the operation of thethree pulleys on a spring line when the line is being pulled into thesphere and rewound on its spool;

FIG. 8 is a cross sectional view inside the sphere showing a spring linepulley system and wheel gearbox;

FIG. 9 is an outside view of a spring line and slack lines from above,showing optional slack line spools at the sphere and spring lineaccordion cover;

FIG. 10 is a cross sectional view inside the sphere from the top showingspring lines, pulleys, belts, wheel, wheel gearboxes and nacelles;

FIG. 11 is a cross sectional view inside the sphere from the sideshowing a nacelle and its stanchion end-on, and the wheel, with springlines, pulleys, belts, and wheel gearboxes;

FIG. 12 is a cross sectional view inside the sphere from the sideshowing the nacelles, their stanchions and the wheel, with spring lines,pulleys, belts and wheel gearboxes;

FIG. 13 is a drawing of a variation showing a spring line extended byscrew eyes with outside pulleys located nearer the wheel;

FIG. 14 is a cross sectional view inside the sphere showing only thewheel and a low-speed shaft;

FIG. 15 is a cross sectional side view inside the sphere of a nacellewith one generator, showing the wheel and low-speed shaft, nacellegearbox, high-speed shaft, and nacelle stanchion;

FIG. 16 is a cross sectional side view inside the sphere of a nacellewith four generators, showing the wheel and low-speed shaft, nacellegearbox, high-speed shafts and nacelle stanchion;

FIG. 17 is a drawing of a generator cooling system showing a heatexchanger and

FIG. 18 is a drawing showing the electrical transmission line andelectrical controls inside the sphere;

FIG. 19 is a drawing of a typical wave powered generator farm showingthe generators, collection points and underwater storage battery pack;

FIG. 20 is an outside view from above the sphere showing the ringanchoring system, with anchor chains and anchoring grid;

FIG. 21 is an outside side view of the ring anchoring system showing thesphere, ring, anchor chains and anchoring grid;

FIG. 22 is a drawing of an inside of the sphere from above, according toa second embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 23 is a drawing of an inside of the sphere from the side;

FIG. 24 is a drawing of an outside of a center cylinder according to athird embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 25 is a drawing of the center cylinder, ring cylinders, and springlines;

FIG. 26 is a drawing of outside and inside views of a ring cylinder;

FIG. 27 is a drawing of the center cylinder, ring cylinders, and a pipering from above, showing strong lines and slack lines;

FIG. 28 is a drawing showing motion of the ring cylinder in ocean waves;

FIG. 29 is a drawing showing a spring line port, entry wheel, and aguide;

FIG. 30 is a drawing of a catch basin;

FIG. 31 is a drawing of a two horizontal wheel assembly;

FIG. 32 is a drawing of another arrangement of a two horizontal wheelassembly;

FIG. 33 is a drawing of an interior of the center cylinder viewed fromthe side.

FIG. 34 is a drawing of the lower portion of the center cylinder fromthe side according to a fourth embodiment of the present inventionshowing among other things the vertical wave power device consisting ofa pressure chamber containing a fluid such as distilled water, afree-floating mass serving as a piston in the fluid, and a system ofpipes or hoses running from the ceiling and floor of the chamber todeliver the fluid under pressure to the upper part of the centercylinder (where a nozzle propels the fluid against the turbine, shown inFIG. 36);

FIG. 35 is a drawing of the middle portion of the center cylinder fromthe side showing, among other things, the horizontal wave power deviceconsisting of a circle of telescoping pouches containing the fluid, eachresting on a hinged platform operatively connected to a spring line froman outer cylinder, pressure from which will raise the hinged platform toclose the telescoping pouch and force the fluid out of the top of thepouch into a system of pipes or hoses running to the upper part of thecenter cylinder (where the nozzle propels it against the turbine, shownin FIG. 36);

FIG. 36 is a drawing of the upper portion of the center cylinder fromthe side showing among other things the generator, its shaft, which isalso the shaft of the horizontal water turbine, the upper part of thefluid delivery system consisting of a pipe or hose connected to abooster pump and the nozzle, and the upper part of the fluid runoff anddistribution system beneath the turbine;

FIG. 37 is a drawing from the side of part of the fluid runoff systemunderneath the turbine showing the divided or X drain which distributesabout half of the runoff fluid to the vertical wave energy system andhalf to the horizontal wave energy system, including the sump under theX drain which collects the fluid from the vertical wave energy parts ofthe drain, which fluid then runs down to the pressure chamber fromwhichever of the two drainpipes in the floor of the sump is open at anygiven time;

FIG. 38 is a drawing of the fluid distribution system for the horizontalwave energy system which distributes the fluid from the center drain toa cistern and then to a separate catch basin for each of the pouches,with a drain and hose to the pouch, and with a trough running around theperiphery of the catch basins to receive any overflow from a catch basinand deliver it to another catch basin in need of fluid; and

FIG. 39 is a drawing showing a variation of the drainage system for thevertical wave energy system in which instead of there being twodrainpipes running down from the sump there is only one, which permitsthe installation of one auxiliary turbine and auxiliary generator setwhich will run continuously and another set which will run half of thetime, rather than two sets of auxiliary turbines and auxiliarygenerators which run alternately.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION First Embodiment

The wave powered electrical generator 1 according to the firstembodiment of the present invention will be described in detail withreference to FIGS. 1-22.

Sphere and Ring.

As shown in FIGS. 1-4, the first embodiment of the present inventionpresents itself as a movable sphere 2 (first floating unit) floatingabout half way down in the water inside a buoyant ring 4 (secondfloating unit) when viewed from the outside. The optimum distancebetween the sphere 2 and the ring 4 will have to be determined bytesting, but it is believed that when the sphere 2 is in the center ofthe ring 4, the distance from the sphere 2 to the ring 4 in anydirection should be approximately equal to the diameter of the sphere 2.Thus, for example, if the diameter of the sphere 2 is four meters, whenthe sphere 2 is in the middle of the ring 3, the distance between thesphere 2 and the ring 4 would be four meters all around, so that thediameter of the ring 4 would be twelve meters, i.e., four meters fromthe ring 4 to the sphere 2, another four meters for the diameter of thesphere 2, and four more meters from the sphere 2 to the ring 4 on theother side. Running between the sphere 2 and the ring 4 are slack lines6 and spring lines 8 spaced equally around the periphery of the sphere2. For example, if there are six slack lines 6 and six spring lines 8,they are disposed alternately and spaced about every 30 degrees aroundthe sphere 2. The slack lines 6 are heavier than the spring lines 8.

Sphere

The sphere 2 fully encloses therein, an electric generator portionwatertight and airtight approximately half way down in the water. Thespherical outside shape will ride well in the water, rising and fallingwith each passing wave. It will also move in response to any movement ofthe water. It will offer no flat surfaces to be battered by the waves ina storm, but through buoyancy will simply float on the surface of thewater to ride out a storm. It will respond equally well to waves fromany direction or several directions at once. No uniformity of wavemotion or direction is required for the electric generator to function.

Another advantage of the spherical outside shape is that it will supporta substantial amount of weight in the water. The following chart showsthe amount of weight which can be supported in the ocean by a sphere ofvarious diameters, from one meter to ten meters. (Column 4, WeightDisplaced, is the weight of water at 63 lbs. per cubic foot which wouldbe displaced by the entire sphere, while column 5 is the weight of waterwhich would be displaced by half of the sphere, i.e., by the sphere halfway down in the water.)

Volume Weight ½ Weight Diameter Radius (4/3 pi r cubed) DisplacedDisplaced 1M  1.64 Ft.   18.48 Cu. Ft    1,164 lbs.    582 lbs. (3.28Ft.) 3M  4.92 Ft.   498.98 Cu. Ft.   31,435 lbs.  15,718 lbs. (9.84 Ft.)5M  8.2 Ft. 2,310.23 CuFt.   145,545 lbs  72,772 lbs. (16.4 Ft.) 7M11.48 Ft. 6,339.27 CuFt.   399,374 lbs 199,687 lbs. (22.96 Ft.) 10M  16.4 Ft.   18,482 Cu. Ft. 1,164,357 lbs 582,178 lbs. (32.8 Ft.)

The size of the sphere 4 or spheres 4 to be utilized at any givenlocation in the ocean will depend upon the size of the waves at thatlocation. For the most part, the higher the waves the larger the spherethat can be utilized, and the greater the amount of electricity thatwill be generated by the generator. Since all that is required for theembodiment to function is relative movement between the sphere 2 and thering 4 in the water, however, it is believed the generator will functionsatisfactorily, i.e., generate commercially viable amounts ofelectricity, in smaller waves as well as larger.

The height of a wave is the vertical distance from the trough to thecrest. Because of the variability of ocean waves the height of the wavesat any given location is measured by what is referred to as “averagesignificant wave height” which is defined as the average height of thehighest one-third waves. (See, e.g., Southern New England Wave EnergyResource Potential, p. 3, George Hagerman, 2001, found atwww.ctcleanenergy.com/investment/S New_Engl_WaveEnergy_Resource_Potential.pdf). Thus the annual average significant waveheight at any geographical location in the ocean will be of significancefor the wave powered electrical generator of the present embodimentbecause it will influence the range of generator sizes utilized at thatlocation.

There is a practical limitation on the size of the sphere 2 which can beutilized at any given location in the ocean, that limitation being awavelength, or the distance between two successive significant wavecrests. The reason for this limitation is simple: if the diameter of thesphere 2 exceeds the wavelength the sphere 2 will straddle two waves andlose much of its movement. In deep water, wavelength is directlyproportional to wave period squared, the period being the time betweensignificant wave crests. (See Hagerman, “Wave Energy Resource Primer”,p. A-3, Appendix A to “Wave Energy resource and economic Assessment forthe State of Hawaii”, final report, June 1992, found atwww.state.hi.us/dbedt/ert/wave92/). In Hagerman's Primer, wave period isin seconds and wavelength is in meters. By this analysis, for example, awave period of five seconds results in a wavelength of approximately 25meters.

As shown in FIG. 5, the sphere 2 should be constructed of two shells 10,12 connected to each other, an outer shell 10 that will be exposed tothe ocean and an inner shell 12 to which the operating parts of theinvention will be fastened. The outer shell 10 should be made of aplastic or metal or composite material, as impervious as possible to theinjurious effects of salt water and the various kinds of organisms, seacreatures and debris which are encountered in an ocean environment.

Because the sphere 2 will be an ocean going vessel and subject topowerful waves and storms, the outer shell 10 should be reinforced withribs 15 on the inside placed approximately every five degrees around itscircumference. The ribs 14 should be wider at the bottom of the sphere 2where there will be greater water pressure and narrower at the top whichwill usually be out of the water. There should also be a reinforced belt16 on midsection around the middle of the outer shell 10, both above andbelow the equator, to absorb and spread the force of the slack linesyanking on the sphere 2 when they tighten.

The inner shell 12 should be made of a lightweight but strong plastic orcomposition material to which the brackets for the pulleys, gearboxes,stanchions and other parts, which will be described later in detail, canbe attached. Both outer and inner shells 10, 12 should be made ofnon-conducting materials. To open the sphere 2 to facilitate access tothe working parts of the generator the sphere 2 should be split into topand bottom hemispheres.

Ring

The function of the ring 4 is to create tension on the spring lines 8when the sphere 2 moves or rolls or the ring 4 moves in the ocean waves.To accomplish this, the ring 4 needs to be buoyant and relatively rigid.What matters is that the ring 4 be large enough and heavy enough toremain in its place relative to the sphere 2 and put a strain on thespring line 8 when the sphere 2 moves or the ring 4 moves.

The ring 4 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is circular in shape. The ring,however, need not be a perfect circle, but could consist of a ring oflogs 18 tied or chained together to surround the sphere 2, such as isshown in FIG. 3. The ring 2 can also be made of a relatively lightweightbut strong and rigid plastic or composite material and could beconstructed in airtight and watertight sections of arc of 60 degreeseach, for example. In that case the sections would have rings or eyesbuilt into them to connect to the spring lines 8 and the slack lines 6,and would be interchangeable. The sections could have a male connectionat one end and a female connection at the other so that any six of themcould be joined together to make a complete circular ring.

Spring Lines

In order for the generator to generate electricity, the relativemovement of the sphere 2 and ring 4 in the waves must be turned intopressure, and the pressure must be transmitted to a wheel inside thesphere. One way of doing this is by the spring line 8 running from thering 2 across to the sphere 2 and then through both the outer and innershells 10, 12 of the sphere 2 at the equator, the approximate waterline, to a system of pulleys, belts, and gears inside the sphere 2,which would turn the wheel. What the optimum arrangement of springlines, pulleys, belts, and gears is to turn the wheel will be determinedby testing. What follows is an illustrative configuration to indicatethe requirements of the system.

More specifically, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the spring line 8 isfastened at one end to the ring 4 (not shown) and runs across to thesphere 2 where it passes through a watertight opening in the side of thesphere 2 and runs to a first pulley a mounted on the inside of thesphere 2. The spring line 8 wraps around the first pulley a and thenruns to a second pulley b which it wraps around in the oppositedirection, runs to a spool 20 on a spring and then is fastened to theside of the sphere 2. These two pulleys a and b, which shall be calledthe “outer pulleys,” have belts A, B, respectively, on their other sidewhich run to a third pulley c, the “inner pulley,” which turns a gear ina gearbox 22, which turns the wheel 24.

The spring lines 8 are made of strong but flexible material, hemp,metal, plastic or a combination, and outside the sphere 2 may be placedinside an accordion-like cover 26 which expands and contracts as thespring line 8 moves in and out of the sphere 2 as shown in FIG. 9. Thepurpose of the cover 26 is to keep the spring line 8 dry and free ofseaweed and other things floating in the water. The spring line 8 itselfmay have holes in it spaced so as to correspond to teeth or spikes onthe outer pulleys to prevent slippage of the line 8 on the pulleys.

The operation of a spring line 8 and its three pulleys a-c and belts A,B is shown in FIGS. 7 and 8. The arrangement is such that the springline 8 will turn the outer pulleys both when it is being pulled out ofthe sphere 2 by the pressure of the ring 4, and when it is being pulledback into the sphere 2 by the pressure of the spring on the spool 20.Also, the arrangement is such that the pulley at the gearbox 22 on thewheel 24, the inner pulley, will turn in the same direction whether thespring line 8 is being pulled out of the sphere 2 or is being pulledback into the sphere 2. Thus the wheel 24 will be spun in the samedirection at all times so as to generate a continuous flow ofelectricity as long as there is movement of the waves.

The end of the spring line 8 inside the sphere 2 is attached to thespool 20 which is under the pressure of a spring. As the spring line 8is pulled out, the spring is tightened, so that when the pressure on thespring line 8 is released the spring rewinds the line on the spool 20inside the sphere 2. That rewinding of the spring line 8 on its spool 20turns the second pulley b and its belt B, which turns the inner pulleyat the gearbox 22 and turns the wheel 24. There is a mechanical orelectronic cut-out which disengages each of the outer pulleys while theother outer pulley is activated to turn the inner pulley at the gearbox22.

Slack Lines

The function of the slack lines 6 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is to permitthe sphere 2 to move freely inside the ring 4 in any direction but toprevent the sphere 2 and ring 4 from colliding with each other. In asmaller version of the generator, there may be an equal number of springlines 8 and slack lines 6 alternating around the equator of the sphere2. Thus for example, with a three or four meter diameter sphere 2, theremight be twelve lines, six spring lines 8 alternating with six slacklines 6, with one line placed every 30 degrees around the circle. In alarger version of the generator, for example, one with an eight or tenmeter diameter sphere, there might be twice as many lines, with perhapssixteen or eighteen spring lines 8 and six or eight slack lines 6, witha line placed every 15 degrees around the circle.

Each slack line 6 is connected to the ring 4 at one end and to theequator of the sphere 2 at the other end. The length of each slack line6 is 80 or 90 percent of the maximum distance between the ring 4 and thesphere 2. Thus, for example, in the case of the sphere 2 and ring 4shown in FIGS. 1-4, which are four meters apart all around when thesphere 2 is in the middle of the ring 4, the maximum distance betweenthe sphere 2 and the ring 4 would be 8 meters (i.e., when the sphere 2is touching the ring), so each slack line 6 would be about 7½ meterslong. This slack line 6 will begin to take pressure gradually when thesphere is about 1 meter from the ring 4 and will become taut so as toprevent further movement in that direction when the sphere 2 reaches apoint about a half meter from the ring 4.

The slack lines 6 are made of heavy duty material, hemp, nylon or otherplastic, or chain or a composite specially designed for extra tensilestrength in order to be able to withstand the pressures which will beapplied by the movement of the sphere 2 away from the ring 4 at thepoint where the slack line 6 is attached to the ring 4. As shown inFIGS. 1, 2, and 6, each slack line 6 has a spool 28 at one end with aspring attached, but unlike the spring line 8, the slack line spring isunder only slight pressure, enough to rewind the slack line 6 if it isnot under pressure, but not enough to prevent the slack line 6 fromplaying out easily when the ring 4 and the sphere 2 are not at or closeto their maximum separation. Thus, the only time the slack line 6 willtake pressure away from the spring lines 8 is when the slack line 6 isalmost fully extended and the slack line 6 takes the pressure to preventthe sphere 2 from colliding with the ring 4. Once the slack line 6 takesthe pressure and draws its side of the ring 4 closer to the sphere 2, itwill again slack off and allow the spring lines 8 to take the pressure.As shown in FIG. 9, a spool 28′ may be provided at the end of each slackline 6 at the sphere 2, instead of at the other end.

Pulley, Belt, and Gear System

The function of the pulleys, belts, and gear system is to transmit tothe wheel 24 the pressure applied to a spring line 8 by the movement ofthe sphere 2 in the waves relative to the ring 4, or the movement of thering 4 relative to the sphere 2. Each spring line 8 is fastened to thering 4 at one end and runs across the intervening distance to the sphere2 where it enters the sphere 2 through a watertight opening at theequator of the sphere 2. Inside the sphere 2, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8,the spring line 8 winds around one side of the first pulley a which isfastened to the inner shell 12 of the sphere 2, and then winds in theopposite direction around one side of the second pulley b which is alsofastened to the inner shell 12 of the sphere 2. From the second pulleyb, the spring line 8 runs to a spring loaded spool 20 around which it iswound. The end of the spring line 8 is fastened to the inner shell 12 ofthe sphere 2 at or near the spool 20.

As shown in FIGS. 7( a), 7(b), and 8 as well as FIGS. 10-12, each of theouter pulleys (a, b) is a double pulley and has the spring line 8wrapped around one side and a belt (A, B) around the other side. Thebelt runs from the outer pulley to a third pulley c at the periphery ofthe wheel 24, called the inner pulley. This inner pulley is also adouble pulley and has the belt (A, B) from one of the outer pulleys onone side and the belt from the other outer pulley on its other side.

When the spring line 8 is pulled, it turns the two outer pulleys it iswrapped around, and each of these pulleys turns the belt wrapped aroundits other side. The belts stretch to the inner pulley whose shaft isconnected to the gearbox 22 whose teeth of an output gear in the gearbox22 mesh with teeth on the periphery of the wheel 24, so that when theoutput gear turns, its teeth turn the wheel 24 (collectively referred toas a gear system). A mechanical or electronic cut-out is employed oneach of the outer pulleys so that the outer pulley's belt will turn theinner pulley only when the inner pulley is turning in the properdirection.

What type of a gear will be employed at the inner pulley will dependupon several factors, including the location of the outer pulleysrelative to the inner pulley. This will depend upon which spring line 8is paired with which gearbox location around the periphery of the wheel24. The plane of the equator of the sphere 2 and the plane of the wheel24 are at right angles to each other. Each spring line 8 and its outerpulleys is in a different position vis-à-vis its inner pulley from eachof the other spring line-pulley combinations, and few, if any, of thesepositions will be at a right angle to its inner pulley, so in eachinstance the gear at the periphery of the wheel 24 will probably need tobe a hypoid bevel gear, or another type of gear that can engage with theaxes in different planes.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, whatever number of spring lines 8 isutilized, the spring lines 8 are equally spaced around the periphery ofthe equator, so as to assure that movement of the sphere 2 or ring 4 inany direction will be transmitted to the wheel 24. The inner pulleys andgearboxes 22 at the periphery of the wheel 24, however, will notnecessarily be equally spaced around the wheel 24, because, as shown inFIG. 11, stanchions 30 in the lower part of the sphere 2 may obstructaccess to the lower part of the wheel 24 from some directions. Thus, itis likely that more of the inner pulleys and gearboxes 22 will need tobe located on the upper half of the wheel 24 than the lower half. Thiswill not have any adverse affect on the spinning of the wheel 24. Notethat the gearbox 22 shown in FIG. 11 is attached to the sphere via agearbox bracket 32.

One variation of the arrangement discussed above would be to have thespring line 8 run farther into the sphere 2 in the direction of itswheel 24 and gearbox 22, with the spring line 8 passing through a seriesof screw eyes 34 mounted in the inner shell 12 of the sphere 2, to itsoutside pulleys located at a point closer to the wheel 24 as shown inFIG. 13. The advantage of such an arrangement would be that the beltswould be much shorter and would not need to run in a straight line fromthe equator of the sphere 2 all the way to the periphery of the wheel24. Running the spring lines 8 along the shell of the sphere 2 to thevicinity of the wheel 24 would also free up much of the space inside thesphere 2 for other uses. This variation shown in FIG. 16 utilizes sucharrangement for a single spring line, but it could be applied to all ofthe spring lines.

Wheel and Low-speed Shaft

As shown in FIG. 14, a low-speed shaft 36 is attached to the wheel 24.The function of the wheel 24 and the low-speed shaft 36 is to receivethe pressure applied to the spring lines 8 by the relative motion of thesphere 2 and ring 4 in the ocean waves in the form of a spinning motionimparted by the pulley and gear systems, and transmit that spinningmotion through another gearbox 22 to turn a high-speed shaft in two ormore generators. As shown in FIG. 11, the wheel 24 is mounted in themiddle of the sphere 2 in order to maximize its size, and the diameterof the wheel 24 will be almost equal to that of the sphere 2, with onlythe gearboxes 22 between the wheel 24 and the inner shell 12 of thesphere 2. The gearboxes 22 with their accompanying inner pulleys aremounted in the inner shell 12 of the sphere 2 around the periphery ofthe wheel 24.

When a wind power generator is used as the generator of this embodiment,the wheel 24 takes the place of the rotor blades in a wind turbine andit will need to be made of strong yet relatively light materials. Itwill need to be able to turn easily yet be strong enough to withstandthe centrifugal force that will be applied to it at high rotationalspeeds. In addition, like all the other parts of the embodiment thewheel 24 will need to be able to operate for long periods of timewithout requiring frequent maintenance.

As shown in FIG. 14, the low-speed shaft 36 is mounted through thecenter of the wheel 24 and fastened to the wheel 24 to operate as partof a single unit with the wheel 24, spinning as the wheel 24 spins. Asshown in FIGS. 14 and 15, the low-speed shaft 36 is connected to agearbox 38 or 38′ at each end with one or more gears to increase thespeed of rotation of the high-speed shaft 40 or shafts 40′ connected tothe other side of each gearbox. The high-speed shaft 40 or shafts 40′turn the generator 42 or generators 42′ to generate electricity. Whilethe wheel 24 will need to be designed and constructed specifically forthis embodiment, the low-speed shaft 36 may be an off-the-shelf itemthat can be taken from a nacelle of a wind turbine.

Nacelles and Generators

Nacelles 44 and generators 42 and 42′ shown in FIGS. 15 and 16 aremodified off-the-shelf items taken from wind turbines. Instead of rotorblades to turn the low-speed shaft 36 of a wind turbine, the inventionutilizes the wheel 24 for that purpose. The specifically wind-relatedparts of the wind turbine, such as an anemometer, wind vane, controller,yaw motor, and yaw drive on a tower, are removed. The nacelle 44 withits low-speed shaft 36, gearbox 38, 38′, high-speed shaft 40, 40′, andgenerator 42, 42′, and disc brake, are utilized by this embodiment.Since the embodiment operates in an enclosed environment, the windgenerators utilized will need to be water cooled, not air cooled.

Since the wheel 24 is positioned exactly in the middle of the sphere 2to maximize the size of the wheel 24 for a given sphere 2, thisembodiment mounts a low-speed shaft 36 on both sides of the wheel 24,unlike a wind turbine which mounts a low-speed shaft on only one side ofthe rotor. With two low-speed shafts to utilize, the invention can mountseveral different sized generators in a single sphere 2. Thus, forexample, in a small sphere, the four small generators rated at say 25 KWcan be mounted on one side of the wheel as shown in FIG. 15, and asingle larger generator rated at 100 KW can be mounted on the other sideas shown in FIG. 14, so that the invention would have the capability ofgenerating electricity in amounts from less than 25 KW to 200 KW,depending upon the ocean state at any given time. In such aconfiguration mechanical or electronic controls would also be mounted inthe nacelle 44 to determine which generator or generators would beactivated at any time, or the order in which the generators would comeon line. The order will depend upon the speed of rotation of the wheel24, with first one and then a second, third, and fourth smallergenerator coming on line as the wheel speed increases, until the speedis sufficient to operate the larger generator on the other side of thewheel 24. At that point the single larger generator would come on lineand the four smaller generators on the other side would cease operating.Thereafter, if the wheel speed continues to mount the smaller generatorswill once again come on line one by one until all the generators are online and the system is operating at its full capacity.

In the alternative, two large generators could be mounted in a singlesphere and operate together or alternately, depending upon the sea stateand the demand for electricity at any given time or season. A wheel withtwo low-speed shafts offers flexibility in the configuration ofgenerators which a wind turbine does not have.

Nacelle Stanchions

The function of the two Nacelle Stanchions 30 shown in FIG. 12 is tobear the weight of the wheel 24, low-speed shafts 36, and nacelles 44and to house cooling systems, transmission systems, and controls of thisembodiment. As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the base of each stanchion 30is at the bottom of the sphere 2 where it rests upon and is fastened tothe inner shell 12 of the sphere 2. The stanchions 30 extend from thebottom of the sphere 2 to the nacelles 44 which are placed slightlybelow the middle of the sphere 2.

The nacelle stanchions 30 are the load bearing parts and must be strongenough to support the weight of the major operational components. Theonly components which are not supported by the stanchions are thepulleys and gearboxes 22 which are fastened to the inner shell 12 of thesphere 2 with brackets 32. The load bearing parts of the stanchions 30will probably need to be constructed of heavy duty steel, whilestainless steel or heavy duty aluminum may suffice for the framework andnon-load bearing parts. In any event most of the weight will be in thestanchions 30.

Cooling System

As shown in FIG. 17, a closed circuit cooling system 46 for thegenerators 42, which are water cooled, is located in each stanchion. Thecooling system 46 utilizes two or three small electrical pumps 48, 54,54′, circulating two separate and distinct coolants, seawater and freshwater. One pump 48, a centrifugal type, circulates fresh water mixedwith glycol in plastic tubes 50 which run through and around thewindings of the generator 42 or generators 42′, then out of the nacelle44 into the stanchion 30 to a heat exchanger 52 located in the lowerpart of the stanchion 30. The heat produced by the generator windings istransferred to the fresh water passing through the tubes 50. The secondpumps 54, 54′, a vane or gear type, suck up seawater and circulate itthrough the heat exchanger 52 where it cools the fresh water in theplastic tubes 50.

The heat exchanger 52 is a cylinder mounted in the lower part of thestanchion 30. A seawater intake 56 is at the lower part of the sphere 2and a seawater discharge 58 is located above the equator of the sphere 2where it will be above the waterline most of the time. Since there willbe two cooling systems 46, one in each stanchion 30, the seawaterdischarges 58 can be located on opposite sides of the sphere 2 andoperated in tandem utilizing valves 60, such that if one discharge 58 isunderwater at any given time both cooling systems 46 will utilize theother through an alternate discharge line 62, above water, discharge.The two heat exchangers 52 full of seawater near the bottom of thesphere 2, in addition to cooling the tubes of fresh water, will alsoserve as ballast which will permit the sphere 2 to roll in the waves butwill oppose any tendency of the sphere 2 to roll completely over in astorm.

Electrical Transmission System and Controls

As shown in FIG. 18, an internal electrical transmission system 64 canalso be similar to those used in wind turbines. A transmission line 66will run from the generator 42 into the nacelle 44 and then into thestanchion 30, through the stanchion 30 to the bottom of the sphere 2where it will exit the sphere at a transmission line egress 68. As shownin FIG. 19, an external transmission line will be a conventionalunderwater electrical transmission line and will run to collectionpoints 72 with transmission lines 74 from other wave powered generators1 in the same generator farm 70, and then to the shore where it will beconnected to a local electrical grid 76. Between the collection points72 and the shore it may be desirable to install an underwater storagebattery bank 78, either on the ocean bottom or floating above it, tocollect part of the electrical power generated by the system duringperiods of peak production, and to supplement the power generated duringperiods of low production, so as to even out the flow of electricity tothe grid 76 from the generator farm 70.

Since like any offshore electrical generating system, this system willneed to be connected to the electrical grid 76 on land, the closer thegenerator is located to the shore the shorter the undersea transmissionline that will be required, and the lower the cost of transmitting theelectricity produced. In some situations there may be tradeoffs betweenthe increased height of the waves farther from shore and the increasedcost of longer transmission lines, but it is apparent that the mostdesirable locations for installing the invention will be where there aresizable waves relatively close to shore, and where the electrical grid76 is close to the shoreline.

There will be sufficient room in the nacelle 44 or the stanchion 30 fora voltage regulator, a rectifier, and other electrical controls for thegenerator.

Anchoring System

Since the wave powered electrical generator consists of two separateparts, the sphere 2 and the ring 4, floating in the ocean, connected byflexible lines, there are three possible ways of anchoring theelectrical generator: (i) anchor the sphere only, (ii) anchor the ringonly, and (iii) anchor both the sphere and the ring. Of these threealternatives, the preferred method is to anchor the ring 4 only, sincethe operation of the generator depends primarily upon the unfetteredmovement of the sphere 2 in the ocean waves relative to the ring 4. Itis inevitable that anchoring the sphere 2 will reduce the verticalmotion of the sphere 2 somewhat, if not the horizontal motion as well,whereas anchoring the ring 4 will only indirectly, and thus notadversely, affect the motion of the sphere 2.

Anchoring the ring 4 might also make it possible to delineate the areaof the ocean occupied by the electrical generator. FIGS. 3, 4, 20, and21 show an anchoring system 80 for anchoring the ring 4. The shape ofthe ring 4 lends itself to the use of three or four anchoring lines (orchains) 82, for example one line to the north, one to the east, one tothe south and one to the west. If these lines are run to the fourcorners of a square anchoring grid 84 placed in the ocean beneath thepower generator, the size of the underwater anchoring grid 84 couldeffectively define the area of the ocean that will be occupied by thepower generator. In addition, multiple anchoring grids 84 connected toeach other could be utilized to anchor multiple units of the powergenerator next to each other in the ocean.

The operation of the power generator depends upon the ring 4 floating ator near the surface of the ocean at all times, so there would need to beenough slack in the anchor lines 82 from the ring 4 to permit the ringto rise and fall with the ocean waves. If the anchoring grid 84 wereinstalled at a predetermined depth of water, perhaps based upon thewater pressure at the given depth, the grid 84 would serve as arelatively stable anchoring platform. It would then be necessary toanchor the grid 84 to the ocean floor.

There are a number of existing methods of anchoring objects in the oceanwhich could be used to anchor the grid 84. Oil rigs and platforms areanchored in virtually all ocean depths using various devices andcombinations of devices, several of which could be modified for use withthe power generator. Closer in size to the power generators of thepresent embodiment are the weather data buoys moored in the oceans offthe US by the National Data Buoy Center (NDBC). These buoys range insize from 3 meters to 12 meters and are anchored in ocean waters withdepths from 13 meters to over 4,500 meters(www.ndbc.noaa.gov/stndesc.shtml). The mooring systems vary dependingupon the depth of the water, with all chain systems being used forshallow depths (up to 90 meters) and semi taut nylon for variousintermediate depths (60 to 600 meters). For deep ocean moorings thereare two systems, a float inverse catenary, which is used from 600 to6000 meters, and a poly-nylon inverse catenary, which is used from 1200to 6000 meters (www.ndbc.noaa.gov/Tour/wirtr4.shtml). Rather thanutilize one anchor per data buoy as NDBC does, since the anchoring gridreferred to above can serve a number of wave powered generators andcover an extended area, it will be more advantageous to utilize at leasttwo anchors, attached to opposite sides of the underwater grid system. Amooring system comparable to that used by the NDBC for its data buoyswould seem appropriate for the power generator of the presentembodiment.

Capacity

How much electricity the invention will be able to generate is unknownand will have to be determined by testing. It is believed that at anygiven moment the power generator of the present embodiment will capturethe wave energy of the area of the ocean occupied by the sphere, plusthe wave energy of the linear circumference of the ring. The area of theocean occupied by the sphere in this case is the area of the circlecomprising the equator of the sphere, pi r squared, r being the radiusof the sphere. The linear circumference of the ring is 2 pi r, in thiscase r being the radius of the ring.

Taking the sphere and ring previously referred to above as an example,where the diameter of the sphere is four meters and the diameter of thering is twelve meters, the area of the ocean occupied by the sphere ispi r squared, or 3.14×2×2, which equals approximately 12.5 squaremeters. The diameter of the ring is 12 meters, so its radius is 6meters, and its circumference is 2×3.14×6 or approximately 37.5 meters.Since we will be dealing in generalities anyway, and it is difficult todeal with both square meters and linear meters, we will use thecircumference of the sphere rather than its area, for purposes of thisdiscussion. The circumference of the sphere is 2 pi r, or 2×3.14×2,which equals approximately 12.5 meters. Thus the 4 meter diameter spherewith a 12 meter diameter ring will have a combined circumference ofapproximately 50 linear meters of ocean waves. Even if the powergenerator is grossly inefficient, so that it generates only one kilowattper hour per linear meter of ocean waves captured, a device of this sizewill generate 50 kilowatts per hour of electricity, which equates to theminimum rating for a commercial wind generator. If the power generatorof the first embodiment is even reasonably efficient, it will generatesubstantially more electricity than that.

The same analysis for a smaller version of the power generator, a threemeter diameter sphere with a nine meter diameter ring, for example,results in a combined circumference of over 37 meters. Again, anefficiency of 1 kw per meter results in approximately 37 kw per hour,while only 2 kw per meter would result in approximately 75 kw per hour,a not insignificant figure for a wave powered device.

Second Embodiment

The second embodiment of the wave powered electrical generator 100 whichutilizes the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.22 and 23.

The wheel utilized in the first embodiment may be excessive relative tothe size of the gearboxes in engagement with the wheel. The gearboxesmay be forced to turn at an excessive rate of speed to keep up with thevery large wheel which they are turning.

As shown in FIG. 22, the second embodiment of the present inventionsolves this matter by utilizing a wheel, which shall be referred to asthe “center wheel” 108, smaller in diameter as compared to the wheel 24in the first embodiment, and introducing a line of smaller wheels,hereafter the “outer wheels” 104, around the periphery of the centerwheel. For example, if the sphere 102 is five meters in diameter, thecenter wheel 108 might be two meters in diameter, with a line of theouter wheels 104 one meter in diameter each around the center wheel 108.The gearboxes 106 (which also include inner pulleys 110) are installedabove and have a common shaft with the smaller outer wheels 104 whichturn the larger center wheel 108. Such a reduction in the size of thecenter wheel 108 and the introduction of a line of outer wheels 104 willreduce the number of spring lines 112 which the system can accommodate.The five meter sphere 102 referred to in this paragraph above, forexample, will be able to accommodate only eight outer wheels 104 andspring lines 112, not the twelve spring lines contemplated in the firstembodiment.

Another feature that differs from the first embodiment, which willsimplify the inner workings of the electrical generator, will be tochange the center wheel 108 and the outer wheels 104 from the verticalplane to the horizontal plane. This will significantly shorten thedistance between the point where the spring lines 112 enter the sphere102 and the gearboxes 106. The spring lines 112 enter at the approximateequator of the sphere 102, and the gear boxes 106 with the inner pulleys110 will be in a parallel plane and slightly above the plane of theouter wheels 104 and the center wheel 108. This will eliminate the needto run some of the spring lines 112 around the periphery of the insideof the sphere 102 as shown in FIG. 13, and the need for lengthy beltsbetween some of the outer pulleys and the inner pulleys at thegearboxes. It will also eliminate the variation in the angles at whichthe outer pulleys and belts approach the inner pulleys, since now theyall will be in the same plane, so only one type of gear, perhaps ahelical gear, will be needed for all the gearboxes.

Changing the center wheel from the vertical to the horizontal plane willresult in rotating the low-speed shaft 114 to the vertical plane. Thisrotation will put one of the nacelles (not shown) with its windgenerator 107 in the lower half of the sphere 102 and the other in theupper half of the sphere 102. In this configuration it may be moreadvantageous to simply eliminate the upper nacelle and generator andutilize only a single wind generator system in the lower part of thesphere 102, where the cooling system is already located. As shown inFIG. 23, a gearbox 109 is provided between the low-speed shaft 114 and ahigh-speed shaft extending from the generator 107.

Rotating the center wheel 108 to the horizontal plane also may make itfeasible to eliminate the outer pulleys and belts and simply to run thespring line 112 directly to the inner pulley 110 at the gearbox 106. Ifthis is done, the operation of the invention will change because thespring line 112 will apply pressure to the inner pulley 110, now theonly pulley, and drive the gear to turn the outer wheel 104 and thecenter wheel 108, and thus generate electricity, only when the springline 112 is being pulled out of the sphere 102, not when it is beingrewound on the spool 114. The function of the two outer pulleys andtheir belts is to generate electricity when the spring line is not underpressure and retracting as well as when it is under positive pressure.The benefit of simplifying the inner workings of the system may outweighthis capability, since there are spring lines 112 going in alldirections from the sphere 102, and when one spring line 112 is notunder pressure it is likely that several other spring lines will be.

Third Embodiment

The third embodiment of the power generator according to the presentinvention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 24-33.

In the first and second embodiments, the entry points of the springlines are provided at the equator of the sphere, which is itsapproximate waterline. Given the fact that the spring lines move in andout of the sphere, it is believed that the present state of the art ofmaking objects watertight may not include the capability of making suchlines watertight. It has been suggested that it is presently possible tomake a shaft through a wall virtually watertight, but not a line movingin and out through the wall.

In view of this, the power generator according to the third embodimenteliminates this potential problem, while offering other advantages.

Center Cylinder

The sphere in the center of the external array, in the first and secondembodiments, is changed to a vertical center cylinder 202 (firstfloating unit) which rides about two-thirds or three-fourths of the waydown in the water, with one-third or one-fourth of the length of thecenter cylinder 202 out of the water. For example, the center cylinder202 might be five meters in diameter and 16 meters in length, with fourmeters above the waterline. In this variation the spring lines enter thecenter cylinder 202 at the top end, which is now out of the water mostif not all of the time. The top of the center cylinder 202 has aspherical roof 204 so that both seawater and rainwater will roll off it,and the spring lines enter the center cylinder 202 through spring lineports 206 provided below the roof.

Ring Cylinders

In this embodiment the ring in the first embodiment is changed to a ringof vertical ring cylinders 208 (second floating unit) around the centercylinder as shown in FIG. 25 and FIG. 27. The ring cylinders 208 may besmaller than the center cylinder 202 and also ride about two-thirds orthree-fourths of the way down in the water. As shown in FIG. 26, eachring cylinder 208 has a mast 210 attached to its top, with the mast 210about equal in length to the diameter of the ring cylinder 208. As shownin FIG. 25, a spring line 212 runs from the top of the mast 210 on thering cylinder 208 to the top of the center cylinder 202. For example, ifthe ring cylinder 208 is two meters in diameter and eight meters inlength, it will ride about six meters down in the water with about twometers above the water, and the mast 210 will also be about two metersin length. In such a configuration, the top of the mast 210 would be atabout the same height above the water as the top of the center cylinder202, i.e., four meters above the water line. This will permit both endsof the spring line 212 to remain out of the water most of the time. Themast 210 will serve two functions. In addition to elevating the outerend of the spring line 212 to keep it out of the water, the mast 210will also increase the effect on the spring line 212 of the movement ofthe ring cylinder 208 in the waves. As shown in FIG. 26, there isnothing inside the ring cylinders 208 except ballast tanks 214 to keepthem down in the water. For convenience of assembly on site the ballastmay be ocean water in four or more discrete vertical tanks none of whichrun completely across the cylinder.

Pipe Ring

While the ring cylinders 208 serve as the outside terminus for thespring lines 212 in this embodiment, it will still be necessary toemploy a floating pipe ring 216 to serve as the outside terminus for theslack lines. As shown in FIG. 27, the slack lines 218 serve the samefunction as in the first embodiment, keeping the floating parts of thesystem in approximate position relative to each other, i.e., in thiscase keeping the ring cylinders 208 in position relative to the centercylinder 202, while at the same time permitting the ring cylinders 208to move freely in the waves. The pipe ring 216 is a rigid circle outsidethe ring cylinders 208 to which an outer set of slack lines 218 a isattached. The other end of each of these outer slack lines 218 a isattached to the approximate water line of one of the ring cylinders 208.There is another set of slack lines, the inner slack lines 218 b, whichrun from the ring cylinders 208 to the center cylinder 202. The lengthof the slack lines 218 need not be the same, either between the innerand outer Slack Lines 218 b and 218 a, or between adjoining outer andinner slack lines 218 a, 218 b. Thus, for example, as shown in FIG. 27,it may be advantageous to employ a varying ring of ring cylinders 208,with some closer to the center cylinder 202 and others closer to thepipe ring 216. This would provide more room for each of the ringcylinders 208 to move in the waves.

Strong Lines

In order to keep the pipe ring 216 in position around the centercylinder 202, it may be helpful to introduce a new set of lines whichwill run directly between the pipe ring 216 and the center cylinder 202.These lines, which we shall call strong lines 220, will be slightlylonger in length than the distance between the pipe ring 216 and thecenter cylinder 202, will be evenly spaced around the center cylinder202 and will be fewer in number than the slack lines 218 as shown inFIG. 27. Four strong lines 220 will be sufficient, for example, one eachgenerally to the north, east, south, and west. The strong lines 220 willbe strong enough to prevent the pipe ring 216 from significantlyreducing the distance between it and the center cylinder 202. Thus, forexample, if the distance from the center cylinder 202 to the pipe ring216 is 10 meters, the strong lines 220 would be about 11 meters inlength, so there would be about one meter of slack to accommodate the upand down movement of both the pipe ring 216 and the center cylinder 202in the ocean waves (The height of the ocean waves to be expected at anygiven location will need to be taken into account in determining thesize of the structures to be utilized. A process of triangulation wouldsuggest that in the example referred to here, a distance of 10 metersbetween the center cylinder 202 and the pipe ring 216, an 11 meterstrong line 220 would accommodate a wave height of over four meters,i.e., 13 feet, assuming that at times the pipe ring 216 will be at thetop of a wave and the center cylinder 202 will be at the bottom of awave, and vice versa).

Action of Strong Lines and Pipe Ring

The action of the strong lines 220 and the pipe ring 216 will be asfollows: when there is pressure on the pipe ring 216 from the waves tomove toward the center cylinder 202 from one direction, for example fromthe west, the strong line 220 running from the pipe ring 216 to thecenter cylinder 202 on the west will become slack. The movement of thepipe ring 216 in an easterly direction, however, will cause the strongline 220 on the opposite side of the center cylinder 202, that is on theeast, to become taut and to prevent any further relative movement of thepipe ring 216 in that direction, that is, it will prevent the pipe ring216 on the west from moving any closer to the center cylinder 202.

Motion of Cylinders in Ocean Waves

As stated previously, one reason for changing from the sphere to thecenter cylinder 202 in the center of the external array is to raiseabove the waterline the point at which the spring lines enter the centerstructure. Changing from the sphere to the center cylinder 202 will alsochange the dynamics of the impact of the ocean waves on the centerstructure. The vertical motion of the waves will have substantially thesame effect on a cylinder as on a sphere, i.e., it will raise and lowerboth structures in the vertical plane. The horizontal motion of thewaves, however, will affect the two structures differently. Thehorizontal motion of the waves will cause a sphere half way down in thewater to roll, while, as shown in FIG. 28, it will cause a cylinder partway out of the water and part way under the water to wobble. Thewaterline of a cylinder floating part way out of the water actseffectively as a fulcrum around which the out-of water and underwaterparts of the cylinder rotate, i.e., as the underwater part of thecylinder moves in one direction, the out-of-water part moves in theopposite direction.

Motion of Center Cylinder

In this embodiment, it is the relative motion of the top of the masts110 of the ring cylinders 208 and the top of the center cylinder 202which results in the generation of electricity. That being the case, thegreater the motion of both of these objects, the greater the amount ofelectricity that will be generated. On the other hand, it may not bedesirable for the center cylinder 202 to wobble in the horizontal planeas well as to rise and fall in the vertical plane, since it contains themechanically operating parts of the generator which may function betterif they are relatively more stable. If that is the case, there are stepsthat can be taken to reduce the wobble of the center cylinder 202. Forexample, as shown in FIGS. 24, 25, and 27, the wobble of a cylinder inthe water can be significantly reduced by the addition of a rigidhorizontal skirt 222, about equal in width to the diameter of the centercylinder 202, around the circumference of the center cylinder 202 abouttwo-thirds of the way down between the waterline and the bottom of thecenter cylinder 202. The effect of such a skirt 222 will be to keep thecenter cylinder 202 upright and steady in the water most of the time,although it does not affect the vertical motion of the center cylinder202 in the waves. Whether the width of the skirt 222 would need to beabout equal to the diameter of the center cylinder 202, and whether theskirt 222 would need to be horizontal, to have this damping effect onthe wobble of the cylinder can be determined by testing. A narrowerskirt, or a skirt at a reduced angle to the cylinder, or a combinationof the two might have substantially the same effect, but these or otherentirely unrelated methods of damping the wobble of the center cylinder202 can be explored by testing.

Motion of Ring Cylinders

Unlike the center cylinder 202, there is no question that it will beadvantageous for the ring cylinders 208 to wobble to the maximum extentpossible, as well as to rise and fall in the vertical plane. It is themovement of the top of the mast 210 of the ring cylinder 208 relative tothe top of the center cylinder 202 that pulls on the spring line 212 togenerate electricity. The ring cylinder floating in the ocean will acteffectively as a lever pulling on the spring line 212. In addition toraising and lowering the ring cylinder 208 in the vertical plane, eachwave as it strikes the underwater or lower part of the ring cylinder 208will push that part in the direction the wave is heading, and thatmovement will in turn move the out-of-water or upper part of the ringcylinder 208 in the opposite direction. The movement of the upper partof the ring cylinder 208 will be transmitted to the rigid mast 210 whichin effect extends the length of the lever and pulls on the spring line212. Since away from the shore the ocean waves do not come from onedirection but from random directions, the movement of each of the ringcylinders 208 will be erratic and independent of all the other ringcylinders 208 and of the center cylinder 202 as well. This random anderratic motion of the ring cylinders 208 in the waves will result insubstantial and fairly continuous generation of electricity by thisembodiment.

It may be advantageous to set the spring line 212 so that its default orat rest position is at the point where the top of the mast 210 of thering cylinder 208 is at its closest point to the center cylinder 202,that is, with the ring cylinder 208 tilted toward the center cylinder202 to the maximum extent. That way any movement of the top of the mast210 in any direction will pull on the spring line 212.

Inside the Center Cylinder

In this embodiment, the interior parts of the center cylinder 202include the following, from the top down:

Entry Wheel

As shown in FIG. 25, from each ring cylinder 208, the spring line 212runs to the top of the center cylinder 202 where it enters the ovalshaped opening or port 206 in the side of the center cylinder 202 underthe roof 204 and, as shown in FIG. 29, winds once or twice around asmall freely turning entry wheel 224 mounted near the edge of the centercylinder via a bracket 226 attached to an inner surface of the innercylinder 202. There is a separate opening 206 and entry wheel 224 foreach spring line 212, and the entry wheels 224 are mounted so that thespring line 212 does not touch the side of the center cylinder 202 as itenters. The entry wheel 224 is wide and has a high rim 224 a on eachside so that the entry wheel 224 can receive the spring line 212 fromany angle that the ring cylinder 208 may assume relative to the centercylinder 202. This angle will vary in both the horizontal and verticalplanes. It will vary in the horizontal plane depending upon where thering cylinder 208 is at any given time in the area of the ocean whichthe slack lines 218 permit the ring cylinder 208 to occupy relative tothe center cylinder 202. The angle will vary in the vertical planedepending upon whether the ring cylinder 208 and the center cylinder202, each of which is moving independently in the waves, is at the top,middle or bottom of its respective wave at any given moment. Thefunction of the entry wheel 224 is simply to change the direction of thespring line 212 from generally horizontal to vertical. From its entrywheel 224, each of the spring lines runs down into the center cylinder202 to the first of a series of guides 228, perhaps a screw eye with afreely turning wheel in the eye, fastened to the side of the centercylinder 202 below the entry wheel 224.

Catch Basin

Mounted below the circle of entry wheels 224 and the first row of springline guides 228 inside the center cylinder 202 there is a catch basin230 to capture and direct any water which may enter the top of thecenter cylinder 202 through the oval openings 206 for the spring lines212 as shown in FIG. 30. The catch basin 230 is in the shape of a conewhich funnels the water to a hole 232 at the bottom of the cone in thecenter of the center cylinder 202. From the hole 232 at the center ofthe catch basin 230, a hose 234 carries the water by gravity down to adischarge opening 236 above the waterline at the side of the centercylinder 202. On the outside of the discharge opening there is a flappervalve 238 which permits the water in the hose to exit the centercylinder 202 but does not permit seawater to enter the opening 236.Around the periphery of the top of the catch basin 230, there are aseries of vertical tubes 240 which permit the spring lines 212 to passthrough the catch basin 230. Inside the tubes 240, there is an absorbentmaterial (not shown) which takes water from the spring line 212 as itpasses through the tube 240. At the bottom, the tube 240 extends outover the catch basin so that any water which accumulates in theabsorbent material will run down into the catch basin 230.

Horizontal Wheel Assemblies

Below the catch basin 230 inside the center cylinder 202, there is aseries of two or three or more Horizontal Wheel Assemblies each of whichis similar to the wheel assembly in the second embodiment, i.e., acenter wheel and smaller outer wheels around the periphery of the centerwheel. If there are three of these horizontal wheel assemblies, forexample, the top one is identified as wheel assembly 1, the middle oneis wheel assembly 2, and the bottom one is wheel assembly 3. As in thesecond embodiment, if the diameter of the center cylinder is about fivemeters, the diameter of the center wheels is about two meters and thediameter of the outer wheels is about one meter each. One reason formultiple horizontal wheel assemblies in the center cylinder of thisembodiment is to increase the number of spring lines which can beaccommodated in the center structure. As indicated in the secondembodiment and shown in FIG. 23, since the single very large centerwheel has been replaced by a somewhat smaller center wheel 108surrounded by still smaller outer wheels 104, there is a physical limitto the number of spring lines which can be accommodated. Thus, forexample, as indicated in the second embodiment, a single horizontalwheel assembly in a five meter diameter sphere or cylinder with a twometer center wheel will be limited to eight outer wheels, which meanseight spring lines. Putting in two or three of such horizontal wheelassemblies in the center cylinder will double or triple the number ofspring lines which can be accommodated. Multiple horizontal wheelassemblies will also permit flexibility in the number of spring linesassigned to turn each center wheel. Thus, for example, if there are 12ring cylinders in the external array, the 12 spring lines can beallocated 6 and 6 between two horizontal wheel assemblies, or 4, 4, and4 among three horizontal wheel assemblies.

Pulley and Gear

As shown in FIG. 29, from the entry wheel 224 at the top of the centercylinder 202, each of the spring lines 202 runs down inside the centercylinder 202 through one or more guides 228, perhaps screw eyes with asmall freely turning wheel inside each eye. The guides 228 are fastenedto the side of the center cylinder 202 and guide the spring line 212through the catch basin 230 and then to a pulley and gear mounted aboveone of the outer wheels of one of the horizontal wheel assemblies, whichwill be described in more detail. The spring line 212 descendsvertically, wraps around the pulley and then runs to a spool with aspring under slight pressure. The pulley is horizontal and its shaftturns a gear, perhaps a spiral bevel gear or a hypoid bevel gear, whichis mounted above and has a common shaft with the outer wheel. The outerwheel turns the center wheel, the shaft of which is the low-speed shaftof a generator. The purpose of the gears, wheels and shafts between thepulley and the generator is to maximize the speed of the high speedshaft of the generator for whatever amount of pressure is being appliedto the pulley by the spring line, so as to maximize the amount ofelectricity generated. What the optimum arrangement and size of gears,shafts and wheels to accomplish this will be will vary depending uponthe diameter of the center cylinder and the distance to be coveredbetween the pulley and the generator.

Single Generator Arrangement

To maximize the amount of electricity generated by this embodiment, themost desirable configuration is one in which the pressure of all of thespring lines 212 is combined and applied to a single low-speed shaft ofa single generator. Where more than one horizontal wheel assembly isutilized, as shown in FIG. 31, this would mean an arrangement in whichall the center wheels 308 a and 308 b turned a single low-speed shaft314 and the torque of each center wheel was applied to the low-speedshaft 314 separately so as to accumulate the effect on the shaft 314.This may require a sophisticated coupling arrangement between the centerwheels 308 a, 308 b, and the low-speed shaft 314 which may not presentlyexist. An arrangement in which two or more wheels 308 a, 308 b werefixed directly to a single low-speed shaft 314 may not accomplish this,since the first pressure applied to the first wheel 308 a will have toturn all the wheel assemblies fixed to the shaft 314, not just the firstwheel 308 a, and it will take more pressure to turn the entirearrangement than it will to turn just one horizontal wheel assembly asshown in FIG. 23. In addition, once the entire arrangement was in motionand all the wheels were turning, a small amount of pressure on one ofthe outer wheels 304 a or 304 b may not be of any significance, sincethe outer wheel might already be turning faster than the added pressurewould be able to turn it, so the additional pressure might have no ornegligible effect. As indicated, if the technology presently exists foraccumulating the torque of two or more wheels on a single shaft, thatwould be the preferred arrangement for this embodiment. In that eventthe order of parts in descending order would be, for example, in thecase of the wheel assemblies previously referred to, wheel assembly 1,wheel assembly 2, and wheel assembly 3 all mounted on a single low-speedshaft connected to a gearbox and single wind generator. The low-speedshaft 314, a gearbox 309, a high-speed shaft 311, and a generator 307 inthis embodiment are comparable to the same parts in the sphere, as shownin FIG. 23.

Multiple Generator Arrangement

If the technology for accumulating the torque of two or more wheels on asingle shaft does not presently exist, the preferred arrangement forthis embodiment is to provide two wheel assemblies WA1 and WA2, eachhaving a center wheel 408 a (408(b)), outer wheels 404 a (404 b), andgears provided above and on the same shaft as the outer wheels as shownin FIG. 32. Each wheel assembly also has a low-speed shaft 414 a (414b), gearbox 409 a (409 b), and a generator 407 a (407 b) provided belowthe wheel assembly. Thus for example, if there were two wheelassemblies, immediately below wheel assembly WA1 there would be thegenerator 407 a, and immediately below wheel assembly WA2 there would bethe generator 407 b. As shown in FIG. 32, an electrical transmissionline 410 extends from the generators 407 a and 407 b.

Other Parts

As shown in FIG. 33, below the generator, or the lowest generator 407 bin a multiple generator arrangement, are the cooling system 411 and theelectrical transmission line or lines 410 and Electrical Controls 412,which are comparable to the same parts described in the lower part ofthe sphere in the first embodiment.

Ballast

Since the center cylinder 202 is to ride about two-thirds orthree-fourths of the way down in the water, it is likely it will benecessary to add weight to the above listed interior parts to maintainthat position. To do so ballast tanks 214 for ocean water will be builtinto the lower part of the cylinder 202. While other forms of ballastcould be used, for ease of assembly of the system at sea, ocean watershould suffice, as long as the water is kept in several discrete tanks214 and the tanks 214 are kept full, so as not to interfere with thestability of the center cylinder 202.

Anchoring System

In this embodiment, it is the center cylinder 202, rather than the ringcylinders 208 or the pipe ring 216, that will be anchored utilizing thesame kind of an anchoring system described for the sphere and ring ofthe first embodiment. Movement of the center cylinder 202 in the oceanwaves is not critical to the generation of electricity, and in fact aspreviously indicated, reducing such movement may contribute to moreefficient operation of the interior workings of the center cylinder 202.

Fourth Embodiment

The wave powered electrical generator according to the fourth embodimentof the present invention will be described in detail with reference toFIGS. 34-39.

The purpose of the fourth embodiment is to change two aspects of thethird embodiment. The first change is to combine in a single device thecapability to capture both the horizontal and the vertical aspects ofocean wave energy. The third embodiment captures only the horizontalaspect of wave energy. The second change is to transfer the energycaptured by both the horizontal and vertical parts of the device to asingle generator shaft in order to maximize the amount of electricitygenerated. The third embodiment does not have the capability ofdelivering all the energy captured to a single generator shaft.

To clarify the terminology being used, by the horizontal aspect of oceanwave energy is meant the observable fact that waves move horizontallyover the face of the ocean. By the vertical aspect of ocean wave energyis meant the equally observable fact that a rowboat anchored in theocean will move up and down with each passing wave.

Externally, the fourth embodiment does not differ very much from thethird embodiment as shown in FIG. 26 and FIG. 27. It still has an outerring 216, multiple outer cylinders 208 with spring lines 212 runningfrom their masts 210 to the top of the center cylinder 202 (now 501),and strong lines 220 and slack lines 218 a and 218 b on the surface ofthe ocean to keep the cylinders 208 and 501 in place relative to eachother and the ring 216. The fourth embodiment differs from the thirdprimarily in the shape of the center cylinder 501, which is moreblock-like with its diameter approximately equal to its height, and inthe mechanisms inside the center cylinder 501 which transfer the motionof the ocean waves to the generator to produce electricity.

To capture both the vertical and horizontal aspects of ocean wave power,and to combine the two sources of wave energy to turn a single generatorshaft, the fourth embodiment utilizes a self-contained hydropower systememploying a modified water turbine in the horizontal plane against whichis directed a stream of fluid such as distilled water to turn theturbine and its shaft, which is also the shaft of the generator.

The Vertical Wave Power System

In the fourth embodiment the vertical wave power system 502 at thebottom of the center cylinder 501 replaces the ballast 214 at the bottomof the center cylinder 202 in the third embodiment. As shown in FIG. 34,the vertical wave power system 502 includes a pressure chamber 503containing a fluid 504, such as distilled water, with a free floatingmass that is heavier than the fluid 504 and functions as a piston 505.The pressure chamber 503 occupies the lower section of the centercylinder 501 and the circular mass 505, shaped like a thick wafer, isalmost equal in diameter to the pressure chamber 503. There is a pistonring 506 around the outer edge of the piston 505 which fills the spacebetween the piston and the wall of the pressure chamber 503 to preventthe fluid 504 from passing while the piston 505 moves up and down in thepressure chamber 503. There are holes 507 in the piston 505 toaccommodate the pipes 508 running through the pressure chamber 503 whichcontain the drain 509 a and the cable run 510 with the auxiliarygenerators 511 described in paragraph 0131 below. Around the peripheryat the bottom of the pressure chamber 503 a short distance above thefloor 512 there is a reinforced platform which serves as a stop 513 a toprevent the piston 505 from hitting the floor 512 of the pressurechamber 503. The width of the platform 513 a all around is about1/16^(th) of the diameter of the pressure chamber 503, so the two sidesof the platform 513 a together will support about ⅛^(th) of the piston505 when it lands on the platform 513 a. When the vertical wave powersystem 502 is at rest the piston 505 rests upon the lower platform orstop 513 a. Around the top of the pressure chamber 503 there is acorresponding platform of the same size which serves as a stop 513 b toprevent the piston 505 from hitting the ceiling 514 of the pressurechamber 503. There is a space between the floor 512 of the pressurechamber 503 and the floor 515 of the center cylinder 501 to accommodatethe pipes or hoses 516 under the floor 512 of the pressure chamber 503.

The operation of the vertical wave power system 502 is as follows: Whenan ocean wave lifts the center cylinder 501 it also lifts the piston505, which is resting on the stops 513 a near the bottom of the pressurechamber 503. When the center cylinder 501 reaches the top of the wave itwill stop rising but the momentum the free-floating piston 505 hasacquired will cause the piston 505 to continue to rise, and the piston505 will begin to compress the water or other fluid 504 in the pressurechamber 503 above it. The fluid 504 under increasing pressure escapesthrough a number of valves 517 a in the ceiling 514 into hoses 516 atthe top of the pressure chamber 503. The valves 517 a are one-way valvesthat allow he fluid 504 to flow out of the pressure chamber 503 andprevent the fluid in the hoses 516 from entering the chamber 503. Thehoses 516 are interconnected with a small booster pump 518 which propelsthe fluid 504 under pressure up to the level of the horizontal wavepower system 540, shown in FIG. 35, where it is joined by fluid 504 fromthe horizontal wave power system 540. The fluid 504 from the two systemsis then fed into another small booster pump 518 which raises the fluid504 up to the level of the turbine 519, shown in FIG. 36, where it isfed into a larger booster pump 521 and then into a nozzle 522 whichpropels the fluid 504 against the turbine 519. The force of the fluid504 causes the turbine 519 to turn, which turns the shaft 523 of theturbine 519 which is also the shaft of the generator 524, the turning ofwhich produces electricity.

As shown in FIG. 36, the fluid 504 that has been directed against theturbine 519, from both the vertical 502 and horizontal 540 wave powersystems, flows into a drain 525 under the turbine 519. As shown in FIG.37, the circular drain 525 contains an X shaped insert 526 which dividesthe fluid 504 approximately in half between the vertical 502 andhorizontal 540 wave power systems. The fluid 504 for the vertical system502 flows into a sump 527 from which two drainpipes 509 a and 509 b rundown to the pressure chamber 503. While the piston 505 is rising thelonger drainpipe 509 a is open and discharges fluid 504 into the lowerpart of the pressure chamber 503 below the piston 505. As the wavepasses, the center cylinder 501 will begin to fall but the piston 505inside the pressure chamber 503 will continue to rise and apply pressureto the fluid 504 above it until the piston 505 has exhausted all of themomentum it gained from the wave.

When the piston 505 loses its upward momentum it will stop rising andgravity will cause it to begin to fall. As the piston 505 falls itsweight will apply pressure on the fluid 504 which has now flowed intothe area below the piston 505 in the pressure chamber 503. The fluid 504under increasing pressure escapes through a number of valves 517 b inthe floor 512 into hoses 516 under the floor 512 of the pressure chamber503, shown in FIG. 34. Similar to the valves 517 a, the valves 517 b areone-way valves that allow the fluid 504 to flow out of the pressurechamber 503 and prevent the fluid in the hoses 516 from entering thechamber 503. These hoses 516 are interconnected with a booster pump 518which helps raise the fluid 504 under pressure up to the level of thetop of the pressure chamber 503. There the fluid 504 is fed through a Yvalve 528 into the same hose line 516 as the fluid 504 from the upperpart of the pressure chamber 503, and is delivered to the turbine 519the same way the fluid 504 from the upper part of the pressure chamber503 was delivered.

The spent fluid 504 once again runs down the divided drain 525 to thesump 527 with the two drainpipes 509 a and 509 b to the pressure chamber503. However, as shown in FIG. 37, when the piston 505 begins itsdescent it causes a valve 517 c in or below the sump 527 to close offthe drainpipe 509 a to the lower part of the pressure chamber 503 and avalve 517 d to open the other drainpipe 509 b to the upper part of thepressure chamber 503, so the runoff fluid 504 now accumulates thereabove the piston 505. The piston 505 continues to fall and to applypressure on the fluid 504 beneath it. Before the piston 505 reaches thestops 513 a at the bottom of the pressure chamber 503, shown in FIG. 34,the next wave will likely begin to raise the center cylinder 501 and thestops 513 a to meet the piston 505, the cylinder 501 and the stops 513 awill end the downward movement of the piston 505, and the cycle willbegin again.

The Auxiliary Generators

As shown in FIG. 34, the vertical wave power system 502 is at the lowerpart of the center cylinder 501 while as shown in FIG. 36 the turbine519 is in the upper part of the center cylinder 501. This means that thevertical wave power system 502 will have to overcome gravity to forcethe distilled water or other fluid 504 up to the level of the turbine519 before the force of the fluid 504 can be applied against the turbine519 to generate electricity. At the same time, however, the fluid 504 inthe drainpipes 509 a and 509 b will be falling from the level of theturbine 519 in the upper part of the center cylinder 501 to the lowerpart of the center cylinder 501 as it returns to the vertical wave powersystem 502. Due to gravity this falling water or other fluid 504 willproduce a “head” that can be utilized to turn an auxiliary turbine 531in each drainpipe 509 a and 509 b connected to an auxiliary generator511 adjoining the drainpipe 509 a or 509 b, as shown in FIG. 34. Amongother things these auxiliary generators 511 can be utilized to powersmall pumps 518 in the master hose lines 516 that deliver the fluid 504to the turbine 519 in order to increase the rate of flow of the fluid504 and offset at least partially the force of gravity acting on thefluid 504 as it comes up from the pressure chamber 503.

The auxiliary generators 511 also can be used to power a larger boosterpump 521 in the large hose line 516 directly in front of the nozzle 522that propels the stream of fluid 504 against the turbine 519, as shownin FIG. 36. This larger booster pump 521 can be used not only toincrease but also to regulate the flow of fluid 504 against the turbine519 and by so doing to regulate the amount of electricity produced bythe generator 524. As shown in FIG. 34, the auxiliary generators 511adjoining the drainpipes 509 a, 509 b are enclosed in a compartment 510serving as a cable run which runs from above the pressure chamber 503almost to its floor 512. The drainpipes 509 a, 509 b are circular andthe cable run 510 is rectangular, and drainpipe 509 a and the cable run510 each has a corresponding shaped hole 507 in the piston 505 so thepiston 505 is able to rise and fall in the pressure chamber 503 aroundthese structures. Although not shown in FIG. 34, it will probably beadvantageous to install a small piston ring around these two openings inthe piston 505.

The Horizontal Wave Power System

Externally the horizontal wave power system 540 has not changed from thethird embodiment and includes multiple outer cylinders 208 with theirmasts 210 and with spring lines 212 running to the center cylinder 501,as shown in FIGS. 25, 26 and 28. Inside the center cylinder the springline ports 206 and entry wheel 224 shown in FIG. 29 remain the same.Since the diameter of the center cylinder 501 is greater than thediameter of the center cylinder 202 was in the third embodiment, thesingle catch basin 230 serving all the spring line ports 206 in thethird embodiment is replaced in the fourth embodiment by placing eachspring line port 206, with its entry wheel 224, in a separate entrycompartment 590, as shown in FIG. 36. This entry compartment 590 willcollect any sea water entering the port 206 on the floor 591 of thecompartment 590, which floor 591 is slanted downward toward the wall 538of the center cylinder and contains a drain 592 which runs through thewall 538 of the center cylinder 501 and discharges the sea water outsideof the center cylinder 501. The spring line 212 runs from the entrywheel 224 through a vertical tube 240 in the floor 591 of the entrycompartment 590.

In the fourth embodiment each spring line 212, after entering throughits port 206, turning on its entry wheel 224, and passing through avertical tube 240 in the floor 591 of the entry compartment 590, thenruns to a guide on the wall 538 of the center cylinder 501 at the levelof the fluid drainage and distribution system before reaching areinforced bracket 541. As shown in FIG. 35, the spring line 212 wrapsaround a wheel 542 at the bracket 541. The bracket 541 is mounted abovea telescoping pouch 543 full of fluid 504 which rests on and is attachedto a flat rigid platform 544 horizontal to the wall 538 of the cylinder501. The platform 544 and pouch 543 are pie shaped with the point towardthe middle of the center cylinder 501 and the wide base against the wall538 where the platform 544 is hinged 545. The hinge 545 allows theplatform 544 to fold up from the horizontal toward the vertical, withthe point of the pie moving up in an arc toward the wall 538 of thecenter cylinder 501. There is a frame 546, also pie shaped, under theplatform 544 which helps support the weight of the pouch 543, but theframe 546 does not move with the platform 544. The spring line 212 runsfrom the wheel 542 at its bracket 541 to the tip of the pie shapedplatform 544 where it hooks on to a ring 547 at the point of theplatform 544. There is a second short spring line 549 attached to thebottom of the platform 544 below the ring 547. The short spring line 549is connected at the other end to the frame 546 near the point. The pouch543 has a framework inside it which allows it to expand and contract,and it has two valves and hoses connected to its upper end, one a supplyvalve 551 (a one-way valve that allows the fluid to enter the pouch 543and prevents the fluid to be discharged from the pouch 543) and hose 552through which fluid 504 enters the pouch 543 when it expands, and theother a discharge valve 553 (a one-way valve that allows the fluid to bedischarged from the pouch 543 and prevents the fluid from entering thepouch 543) and hose 554 through which fluid 504 exits the pouch 543 whenit contracts under pressure. When the pouch 543 is not under pressure itfills up with fluid 504. The action of the pouch 543 is not unlike abellows, but it works with fluid 504, not air.

The operation of the horizontal wave power system 540 is as follows. Thedefault position of the outer cylinder 208 can vary, but the mostdesirable is probably with its mast 210 leaning at a maximum tilt towardthe center cylinder 501. In that position, any relative movement by thetop of the mast 210 of the outer cylinder 208 away from the centercylinder 501 will put the spring line 212 under pressure and cause it topull the ring 547 at the point of the platform 544 up toward the wall538 of the center cylinder 501. That movement will cause the platform544 to compress the pouch 543 and force fluid 504 out of the dischargevalve 553 at the top into the discharge hose 554. In FIG. 35 the pouch543 shown on the right side has been compressed about half way by itsspring line 212. The fluid 504 will be delivered through a series ofhoses 516 and booster pumps 518 to the nozzle 522 which will propel itagainst the turbine 519 which will turn and cause the generator shaft523 to turn, thereby producing electricity. The greater the relativemovement between the outer cylinder 208 and the center cylinder 501 thegreater the pressure will be on the spring line 212 and the greater theamount of fluid 504 under pressure that will be discharged from thepouch 543, transmitted to the nozzle and propelled against the turbine519.

When the movement of the outer cylinder 208 in the waves ceases to exertpressure on the spring line 212 and the spring line 212 slackens, theshort spring line 549 attached to the underside of the platform 544 willbecome dominant and will pull the point of the platform 544 back awayfrom the wall 538 of the center cylinder 501 and down toward thehorizontal frame 546. As it does so the telescoping pouch 543 attachedto the top of the platform 544 will open up and draw fluid 504 into thepouch 543 from the supply valve 551 and hose 552 until the pouch 543 isfull again. When the platform 544 returns to its horizontal position onthe frame 546 the cycle is ready to begin again the next time there ismovement by the outer cylinder 208 relative to the center cylinder 501.The horizontal wave power system 540 works the same way for each of theeight, ten, twelve or whatever number of outer cylinders 208 there are,each of which moves at random in the ocean waves and independently ofthe other cylinders.

The Turbine

The turbine 519 is a modified hydropower turbine installed in thehorizontal plane under the generator 524 in the upper portion of thecenter cylinder 501, with its vertical shaft 523 also serving as theshaft of the generator 524 above it, as shown in FIG. 36. Onemodification of the turbine 519 from a conventional hydropower turbineis in the shape of the blades 555 which are designed to discharge thefluid 504 more in a downward direction than in the opposite directionfrom which the fluid enters the turbine 519, as in a conventionalhydropower turbine, while still transferring the kinetic energy of thefluid 504 to rotational energy to turn the shaft 523 of the turbine 519and the generator 524. Depending upon the circumstances it may bedesirable to make the diameter of the turbine 519 as large as possiblewhile still accommodating the nozzle 522 next to it. In that case theturbine 519 may be off-center in the center cylinder 501 because of theneed to place the nozzle 522 at the same level as the turbine 519.

The Large Booster Pump and the Nozzle

When the small booster pump 518 above the horizontal wave power system540 sends the fluid 504 from both the vertical and horizontal wave powerdevices up to the level of the turbine 519, the single master hose 516transmits the fluid 504 to the large booster pump 521, which acceleratesthe fluid to the nozzle 522 which then propels the fluid 504 against theturbine 519. With electronic sensors placed in various locationsthroughout the vertical and horizontal wave power systems, the largebooster pump 521 and the nozzle 522 can be electronically programmed todeliver to the turbine blades 555 the optimum volume of fluid 504 at theoptimum velocity to generate the maximum amount of electricity thesystem is capable of producing under the circumstances existing at anygiven time.

The Fluid Drainage and Distribution System

As shown in FIG. 36, after the fluid 504 is directed against the turbineblades 555 it falls into a runoff drainage system under the turbine 519.The upper part of this system is a shallow concave floor 566 coveringthe entire area under the turbine 519, with the drain 525 at the lowestpoint, approximately in the center. As shown in FIG. 37, the drain 525is a large round hole divided by an X shaped insert 526 into four equalpie shaped sections which for purposes of identification only we shallcall the north, east, south and west sections. Two of the sectionsopposite each other, for example the north and south sections, drain thefluid 504 to the vertical wave power system 502, while the other two,the east and west sections, drain the fluid 504 to the horizontal wavepower system 540. The purpose of the X shaped insert 526 and the pairingof the opposite sections is to divide the runoff fluid 504 approximatelyequally between the vertical drainage and distribution system and thehorizontal drainage and distribution system.

The Vertical Drainage and Distribution System

Both of the sections of the X shaped insert 526 serving the verticaldrainage and distribution system feed the fluid 504 which runs into theminto a single large sump 527 under the insert 526. From the floor 529 ofthe sump 527 two separate drainpipes 509 a and 509 b run down throughthe center of the horizontal wave power system 540 to the vertical wavepower system 502 and into the pressure chamber 503 where the longer one,509 a, runs through a hole in the piston 505. In the pressure chamber503 one of the drainpipes 509 b discharges its fluid 504 into the upperpart of the pressure chamber 503 above the piston 505, while the otherdrainpipe 509 a continues down through the pressure chamber 503 and thepiston 505 to the lower part of the pressure chamber 503 where itdischarges its fluid 504 below the piston 505. At the top of thedrainpipes 509 a, 509 b in or below the floor 529 of the sump there arevalves 517 c and 517 d, which are connected mechanically orelectronically to the piston 505, and which open and close thedrainpipes 509 a and 509 b alternately, depending upon the movement ofthe piston 505. That is, when the piston 505 is rising, drainpipe 509 a,which runs to the lower part of the pressure chamber 503, is open anddrainpipe 509 b is closed, and when the piston 505 is falling, drainpipe509 b, which runs to the upper part of the pressure chamber 503 is openand drainpipe 509 a is closed. The auxiliary turbines 531 described inparagraphs 0131 and 0132 above are located near the bottom of each ofthe drainpipes 509 a and 509 b just above the discharge to the pressurechamber 503.

The Horizontal Drainage and Distribution System

As shown in FIG. 38, each of the two sections of the X shaped insert 526serving the horizontal wave power system 520 opens into a large circularcistern 578 which spans most of the center cylinder 501 at that pointand surrounds the sump 527. The floor of the cistern 578 is higher inthe middle under the drain 525 and slants down towards the periphery.About half way from the drain 525 to the periphery the floor drops offand forms a circular series of catch basins 579, one for each of thepouches 543 in the horizontal wave power system 520, with a drain 580 inthe floor of each catch basin 579. As shown in FIG. 35, the hose 552runs from each catch basin drain 580 to its pouch 543 where there is aflapper or other type valve 551 which regulates the flow of water orfluid 504 into the pouch 543. When the pouch 543 is full the valve 581closes and the fluid 504 backs up in the hose 552 and into the catchbasin 579. As shown in FIG. 35 and FIG. 38, running around the veryouter periphery of the cistern 578 slightly below the level of the topof the outer wall 582 of the catch basins 579, which is lower than theinner wall 583, there is a trough 584 to collect the overflow from acatch basin 579. There are also holes 585 between the trough 584 andeach catch basin 579 to permit fluid 504 to run from the trough 584 backinto the catch basin 579, with a flapper or other valve on the catchbasin 579 side of the hole 585 to prevent the fluid 504 from enteringthe trough 584 that way. The purpose of the cistern 578, catch basin 579and trough 584 system is to deliver fluid 504 to whichever pouches 543in the horizontal wave power system 520 need fluid at any given time.

As shown in FIG. 38, the cistern 578 in the horizontal drainage anddistribution system under the X insert, since it opens to only twoquarters, or half, of a circle, may not distribute fluid 504 equally toall of the catch basins 579 encircling it. The catch basins 579 in linewith the sump 527 serving the vertical wave power system are likely toreceive less of the fluid 504 running off from the cistern 578 thanthose directly in line with the openings to the cistern 578. To reducethis inequality somewhat there are ridges 593 built into the floor ofthe cistern 578 to divert some of the fluid flowing down from the top ofthe cistern 578 to the side to the catch basins 579 in line with thesump 527. Another way to equalize the flow of fluid to the catch basins579 would be to have the X insert 526 and the sides of the sump 527rotate continuously so as to deliver the fluid more evenly around thecircle of catch basins. The floor 529 of the sump 527 would have to bestationary because of the drains 509 a and 509 b which run down from it,but since the area above the floor 529 is open the sides of the sumpcould rotate and still deliver the same amount of fluid to the verticaldrains 509 a and 509 b. A motor would be required to rotate the drain526 and the sides of the sump 527, but if the auxiliary generators couldproduce enough power to run such a motor, or if such power could bediverted from the main generator, it would be advantageous to theinvention.

Generator and Other Systems

The main generator 524 in the fourth embodiment is a conventionalgenerator such as a hydropower generator or a wind generator modified soas to be water cooled, as in the first embodiment. No claims are maderegarding the main generator itself, the invention being the design of asystem for transferring the energy of ocean waves to turn the shaft of amodified conventional generator.

The electrical transmission system and the anchoring system in thefourth embodiment are comparable to the electrical transmission system64 and the anchoring system 80 in the first embodiment, taking intoaccount the change from a sphere to a cylinder and other differences.

Dimensions

The discussion in Paragraphs 0050 through 0053 concerning the sphere inthe first embodiment is equally applicable to the center cylinder in thefourth embodiment. That is, regarding its dimensions, the concepts ofthe size of the unit depending upon the size of the waves, how theheight of ocean waves is measured, the importance of average significantwave height, the outer limit of the diameter of a unit being awavelength, and wavelength in meters being roughly proportional to waveperiod in seconds squared, are all concepts equally applicable to thecenter cylinder in the fourth embodiment. In addition, the discussion inParagraphs 0054 through 0056 concerning the need for an inner and outershell for the sphere is equally applicable to the center cylinder.

It will be important for a wave powered generator to be sized so as tooperate as much of the time as possible. Since the measurements ofsignificant wave height and wavelength are based on averages at a givenspot in the ocean, and the outer limit of the diameter of the centercylinder is a wavelength, it might be prudent to adopt a rule of thumbthat the diameter of a center cylinder should be, for example,approximately half the annual average wavelength at a given spot in theocean. With the outer limit at a wavelength, it is likely that thegenerator in a center cylinder with a diameter of half a wavelength willbe operable the great majority of the time.

Applying such a rule of thumb, if the average annual wave period in alocation were 5 seconds, for example, the average annual wavelengthwould be approximately 25 meters. At 3.25 feet per meter the averageannual wavelength would be over 80 feet, half of which would be about 40feet, a sufficient diameter for a center cylinder. As indicated inparagraph 0124 above, the shape of the center cylinder in the fourthembodiment is proposed to be block-like, with its height approximatelyequal to its diameter. One reason for this shape is to stabilize thecenter cylinder, that is, to minimize the roll of the center cylinder inthe waves. Minimizing the roll will facilitate the up and down movementof the piston in the pressure chamber—riding up and down on the shaftsof the long drain pipe and cable run, the piston will move more easilyin the vertical plane than it will if the center cylinder deviates veryfar from the vertical plane. Likewise, minimizing the roll of the centercylinder will minimize the side to side sloshing of fluid in the cisternsupplying fluid to the pouches in the horizontal wave power system.Experience may show that a rule of thumb for the diameter of the centercylinder of 60% or 70% of the wavelength at a given location will befeasible, but 50% would appear to be a safe place to start.

Variations of the Fourth Embodiment

As described above and as shown in FIGS. 34 and 37, neither auxiliarygenerator 511 will operate continuously, but the two auxiliary turbinesin drainpipes 509 a and 509 b will activate their auxiliary generatorsalternately, with the fluid 504 running down from the sump 527 andturning the auxiliary turbine 531 in first one of the drainpipes andthen the other as the fluid 504 is returned to the pressure chamber 503alternately above and below the piston 505. A variation in the design ofthe sump 527 and drainpipes 509 a and 509 b, however, would result inone auxiliary generator operating continuously and the other operatinghalf of the time, a combination which might be more advantageous.

As shown in FIG. 39, the variation in the design of the sump 527 wouldbe simply to have one drain 509 in the floor 529 of the sump 527, whichdrain 509 would remain open at all times and permit all of the fluid 504entering the two “vertical” parts of the X insert 526 above the sump 527to run down into the drain 509. The single drainpipe 509 under the sump527 would run down through the horizontal wave power system 540 to ashort distance above the top of the pressure chamber 503 where anauxiliary turbine 531 would be located in the drainpipe 509, with anauxiliary generator 511 adjoining the auxiliary turbine 531. Thisauxiliary turbine 531 would receive a continuous flow of fluid 504 downthe drainpipe 509, which would cause its adjoining auxiliary generator511 to operate continuously.

Beneath the auxiliary turbine 531 in the drainpipe 509 near the top ofthe pressure chamber 503 there would be a Y valve 528 which would splitthe drainpipe 509 into two pipes equal in diameter to drainpipe 509, onea short drainpipe 509 b which would discharge fluid 504 into the top ofthe pressure chamber 503, and the other a long drainpipe 509 a whichwould run down through the pressure chamber 503 and through the piston505 to the bottom of the pressure chamber 503 where it would dischargefluid 504 into the bottom of the pressure chamber 503. A valve 520connected mechanically or electronically to the piston 505 would belocated in the Y valve 528 and would direct the fluid 504 falling fromthe auxiliary turbine 531 to either drainpipe 509 a or 509 b, dependingupon whether the piston 505 was rising or falling, and would close offthe other drainpipe. A second auxiliary turbine 531 would be located indrainpipe 509 a near its end at the bottom of the pressure chamber 503,with an auxiliary generator 511 in the adjoining cablerun 510. Thisauxiliary turbine and generator would be activated any time there wasfluid 504 running to the bottom of the pressure chamber 503, which wouldhappen approximately half of the time.

The power generators of the foregoing embodiments provide wave poweredcommercial electrical generators which maximize current output due towave motion.

Further, the power generators of the foregoing embodiments provide wavepowered commercial generators which can be constructed in various sizesto correspond to the variations in average wave height and wavelength indifferent parts of the ocean.

Yet further, the power generators of the foregoing embodiments providewave powered commercial generators which are simple in design, shaped tominimize storm damage, and easy and inexpensive to construct.

Still further, the power generators of the foregoing embodiments providewave powered commercial generators which will occupy only a small areaof the ocean surface and will be visually unobtrusive when viewed fromshore.

The invention being thus described, it will be obvious that the same maybe varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded asdeparture from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all suchmodifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are intendedto be included within the scope of the following claims:

1. A wave powered electrical generator, comprising: a first floatingunit adapted to float in water and accommodate a power generatortherein, the first floating unit having a first wave power systemincluding, a chamber that contains fluid therein, a free-floating massprovided in the chamber, the free-floating mass separating the chamberinto a first chamber defined at a first side of the mass and a secondchamber defined at a second side of the mass opposite to the first side,a first valve that allows the fluid in the first chamber to bedischarged from the first chamber as the free-floating mass moves in thedirection of the first chamber, a second valve that allows the fluid inthe second chamber to be discharged from the second chamber as thefree-floating mass moves in the direction of the second chamber; a powergenerator; a turbine attached to the power generator; and a pipe thatreceives the fluid discharged from the first chamber and the secondchamber and discharges the received fluid from an end thereof againstthe turbine to rotate the turbine.
 2. The wave powered electricalgenerator according to claim 1, wherein the free-floating mass is apiston that moves in a vertical direction inside the chamber, and thefirst chamber is provided below the piston, and the second chamber isprovided above the piston, the piston is adapted to move in the verticaldirection due to a momentum of the piston as the first floating unitmoves in the vertical direction.
 3. The wave powered electricalgenerator according to claim 1, wherein the turbine is provided abovethe chamber, and the first wave power system further including, a drainhaving a sump for collecting the fluid discharged from the pipe, a firstdrain pipe extending downward from the sump, and connecting the sumpwith the first chamber to return the fluid to the first chamber, and asecond drain pipe extending downward from the sump, and connecting thesump with the second chamber to return the fluid to the second chamber.4. The wave powered electrical generator according to claim 3, whereinone of the first and second drain pipes penetrates through a holedefined by the free-floating mass.
 5. The wave powered electricalgenerator according to claim 3, wherein the first wave power systemfurther comprises, a first valve provided in the first drain pipe thatopens when the free-floating mass is moving in the direction of thesecond chamber, and a second valve provided in the second drain pipethat opens when the free-floating mass is moving in the direction of thefirst chamber.
 6. The wave powered electrical generator according toclaim 1, wherein the first wave power system further comprises, abooster pump provided in the pipe for drawing the received fluid towardsthe end of the pipe.
 7. The wave powered electrical generator accordingto claim 6, wherein the first wave power system further comprises, anauxiliary turbine, provided in at least one of the first drain pipe andthe second drain pipe, connected to an auxiliary generator thatgenerates power as the fluid flows inside at least one of the firstdrain pipe and the second drain pipe.
 8. The wave powered electricalgenerator according to claim 1, wherein the first wave power systemfurther comprises, a nozzle provided at the end of the pipe.
 9. The wavepowered electrical generator according to claim 8, wherein the firstwave power system further comprises, a control unit that controls anamount of fluid discharged from the nozzle.
 10. The wave poweredelectrical generator according to claim 3, wherein the first wave powersystem further comprises, a concave floor provided below the turbine forcollecting and drawing the fluid discharged from the pipe into the sumpof the drain.
 11. The wave powered electrical generator according toclaim 3, wherein the drain includes an insert that provides about halfof the collected fluid to the sump.
 12. The wave powered electricalgenerator according to claim 1, further comprising: a second floatingunit adapted to float in the water in the vicinity of the first floatingunit; and a spring line, one end of which being attached to the secondfloating unit and the other end of which being operatively connected toa second wave power system provided in the first floating unit forrotating the power generator, wherein the second wave power systemincludes, a telescoping pouch that accommodates the fluid therein; asupply valve for allowing the fluid into the pouch as a volume of thetelescoping pouch increases, and a discharge valve for allowing thefluid to discharge from the pouch into the pipe as the volume decreases,and a pivotable platform that supports the telescoping pouch andconnected to the other end of the spring line, such that a relativemovement between the first floating unit and the second floating unitcauses the spring line to pivot the platform to increase and decreasethe volume of the telescoping pouch.
 13. The wave powered electricalgenerator according to claim 12, wherein the second wave power system isprovided above the first wave power system.
 14. The wave poweredelectrical generator according to claim 12, wherein the second wavepower system, further includes, a fluid distribution unit provided abovethe telescoping pouch for collecting the fluid discharged from the pipeand returning the collected fluid to the telescoping pouch through thesupply valve.
 15. The wave powered electrical generator according toclaim 14, wherein the second wave power system includes a plurality oftelescoping pouches, each pouch having the supply and discharge valves,wherein the fluid distribution unit has a cistern and a plurality ofcatch basins provided for each pouch, such that the collected fluid isprovided evenly into each catch basin.
 16. The wave powered electricalgenerator according to claim 14, wherein the cistern includes at leastone ridge formed in the surface thereof.
 17. The wave powered electricalgenerator according to claim 12, wherein the turbine is provided abovethe chamber, and the first wave power system further includes, a drainprovided below the turbine and having a sump for collecting the fluiddischarged from the pipe and returning the collected fluid to thechamber, the drain including an insert that provides about half of thecollected fluid to the sump, and the second wave power system includes,a fluid distribution unit provided adjacent the drain for collecting theother half of the fluid discharged from the pipe and returning thecollected fluid to the telescoping pouch through the supply valve. 18.The wave powered electrical generator according to claim 12, furthercomprising: a plurality of slack lines extending between the firstfloating unit and the second floating unit to prevent the first floatingunit from colliding with the second floating unit.
 19. The wave poweredelectrical generator according to claim 1, the first floating unit has ablock-like shape, and a width and a height of the first floating unitare substantially the same.
 20. The wave powered electrical generatoraccording to claim 12, wherein the second floating unit has a mastextending upward from the top thereof, wherein, one end of the springline is attached to the mast, such that the spring line is exposed abovethe water.
 21. The wave powered electrical generator according to claim1, wherein the chamber includes a first stop that prevents thefree-floating mass from moving in the direction of the first chamberbeyond a first predetermined position, and a second stop that preventsthe free-floating mass from moving in the direction of the secondchamber beyond a second predetermined position.
 22. The wave poweredelectrical generator according to claim 1, wherein the first and secondvalves are one-way valves that allow the fluid to be discharged from thefirst and second chambers and prevent the fluid from entering the firstand second chambers, respectively.
 23. The wave powered electricalgenerator according to claim 12, wherein the supply valve is a one-wayvalve that allows the fluid to enter the telescoping pouch and preventsthe fluid to be discharged from the pouch, and the discharge valve is aone-way valve that allows the fluid to be discharged from the pouch andprevents the fluid from entering the pouch.
 24. A wave poweredelectrical generator, comprising: a first floating unit adapted to floatin water and accommodate a power generator therein; a second floatingunit adapted to float in the water in the vicinity of the first floatingunit; and a spring line, one end of which being attached to the secondfloating unit and the other end of which being operatively connected toa wave power system provided in the first floating unit for rotating thepower generator, wherein the wave power system includes, a telescopingpouch that accommodates the fluid therein; a supply valve for allowingthe fluid into the pouch as a volume of the telescoping pouch increases,and a discharge valve for allowing the fluid to discharge from the pouchinto the pipe as the volume decreases, and a pivotable platform thatsupports the telescoping pouch and connected to the other end of thespring line, such that a relative movement between the first floatingunit and the second floating unit causes the spring line to pivot theplatform to increase and decrease the volume of the telescoping pouch.25. The wave powered electrical generator according to claim 24, whereinthe second floating unit has a mast extending upward from the topthereof, wherein, one end of the spring line is attached to the mast,such that the spring line is exposed above the water.
 26. The wavepowered electrical generator according to claim 1, wherein the turbineis provided above the chamber, and the first wave power system furtherincluding, a drain having a sump for collecting the fluid dischargedfrom the pipe, a first drain pipe extending downward from the sump, andhaving a diverging point at a lower end thereof, a second drain pipeextending downward from the diverging point and into the first chamberto return the collected fluid to the first chamber, a third drain pipeextending downward from the diverging point and into the second chamberto return the collected fluid to the second chamber, a valve that closesthe second drain pipe when the free-floating mass is moving in thedirection of the first chamber and closes the third drain pipe when thefree-floating mass is moving in the direction of the second chamber. 27.The wave powered electrical generator according to claim 26, wherein oneof the second and third drain pipes penetrates through a hole defined bythe free-floating mass.
 28. The wave powered electrical generatoraccording to claim 26 wherein the first wave power system furthercomprises, a first auxiliary turbine, provided in the first drain pipe,connected to a first auxiliary generator that generates power as thefluid flows inside the first drain pipe.
 29. The wave powered electricalgenerator according to claim 28, wherein the first wave power systemfurther comprises, a second auxiliary turbine, provided in the seconddrain pipe, connected to a second generator that generates power as thefluid flows inside the second drain pipe.